Reset password

Londolozi Live

Membership overview

We invite you to sign up for a Londolozi Live account and join our growing digital family united by our respect for nature and love of the wild. Membership is free and grants access to the Londolozi community, numerous innovative services and benefits across our digital ecosystem:

Quick sign in/sign up

Tired of new passwords? Link your social media account of choice for instant, secure access to Londolozi Live.

Who are you?

Tell the community something about yourself and tweak your Londolozi profile. More of a secretive animal? Keep your profile private.

Track your activity

Earn badges for your profile as you interact with Londolozi and the community as you comment, share and explore our online ecosystem. All your activity with Londolozi is now connected.

Increase your ranking

Earn prowess and rank up as you interact with Londolozi Live and earn a spot on the monthly points leaderboard.

Discuss stories

Chat with other Londolozi Live Explorers and with your favourite Contributors from the Londolozi team about their photos and stories from the wild.

Home of leopards

Tell us which of the Leopards of Londolozi you've encountered during your visit! Their cards will move to your profile page collection.

Rent gear

Need a camera for your stay? Book it online and hassle free. Travel to Londolozi light and easy.

The Week in Pictures #302

The Week in Pictures is a wonderful way to showcase the diversity of wildlife experienced at Londolozi, and the best thing about it, is that no two weeks are ever the same. In fact, no two days are ever the same here, and every game drive is a new opportunity to see and experience something totally different.

The past seven days have undoubtedly made up one of the most memorable weeks of my guiding career thus far. The sightings not only of individual animal species, but of interactions between species, is something that will forever be etched in my mind.

I hope you enjoy the images as much as my guests and I enjoyed these wonderful moments together.

Enjoy this Week in Pictures…

We waited in anticipation as a breeding herd of elephants approached a watering hole at great speed. These animals can drink as much as 120 liters in one day. 1/800 at f6.3 ISO 1600

The scar-nosed Majingilane male has been seen on his own for quite some time now. A few mornings ago was no different. We watched as he roared while patrolling and scent marking through his territory. 1/800 at f6.3, ISO 1600

Giraffes can be challenging to photograph given their sheer size, and because of the tricky habitat they are normally found in. However, close-up shots can reveal incredible detail, like the long hairs on their lips, that may otherwise be missed. 1/3200 at f6.0 ISO 500

A multitude of vultures perch in a series of dead trees, waiting for the pride of lions below to move off from their buffalo kills. The gloomy grey skies made for an appropriate black and white conversion. 1/2000 at f6.0 ISO 500

The king of the skies. A martial eagle flies off from its day-time perching spot after being mobbed relentlessly by a pair of fork-tailed drongos. 1/8000 at f6.3 ISO 1000

The dark-maned Majingilane male photographed at the end of a yawn. Darkness is certainly no reason to pack your camera away. Having an understanding of a few basic in-camera settings could result in you capturing an entirely unique set of images that you never thought you were capable of capturing. The ins and outs of night photography is something we will be featuring in the next few weeks on the Londolozi blog. 1/160 at f2.8 ISO 3200

A Tsalala Breakaway male yawns before getting up and beginning to hunt. This was taken on manual mode, a mode that often terrifies amateur photographers. I’d encourage you to take a look at the camera settings written below though, which help to give you the ball park range of settings used to capture action at night. 1/200 at f2.8 ISO 3200

One of the most incredible moments I have ever witnessed out in the bush! This Majingilane male came running towards us at full speed, trailing an Ntsevu lioness who had stolen a common duiker kill from a leopard moments before. 1/8000 at f5.6 ISO 1800

The remaining Nkoveni cub moves through an open area, being led by its mother to the relative safety of a thicket nearby. 1/6400 at f5.6 ISO 3200

Nkoveni 2:2 Female

The Mhangeni Pride managed to bring down two separate buffalo overnight. We managed to view them the following morning, feeding on what little was left of each carcass. 1/1000 at f6.3 ISO 500

Hunting buffalo is thirsty work. One of the pride females wanders over to a watering hole nearby to quench her thirst. 1/640 at f6.3 ISO 720

It was wonderful to see the Ndzandzeni female again, putting more pressure on her injured back leg. She has been seen on a kill this past week and we’re hoping that it means she’ll be able to make a full recovery. 1/1250 at f5.6 ISO 500

Ndzanzeni 4:3 Female

A Mhangeni pride sub-adult rests on top of a termite mound providing me and my guests with this wonderful eye-level photographic opportunity. 1/640 at f6.0 ISO 6400

Similar to the giraffe, an elephant can be a difficult subject to photograph due to its size. Zooming in and getting close is one way though to reveal amazing textures and detail. 1/3200 at f6.2 ISO 3200

With World Rhino Day having happened this past week, my guests and I aimed to capture an iconic rhino shot with the rising sun in the background. 1/3200 at f5.0 ISO 1600

Arguably one of the most photogenic animals in the bush, the zebra makes for an easy subject to photograph, often lending themselves for great black and white conversions due to their already beautiful contrasts. 1/1000 at f6.3 ISO 1600

The Tailless female cautiously crosses the main channel of the Sand River at sunset on a beautiful afternoon spent with the Tsalala Breakaway Pride. In a few months, this channel will hopefully be flowing strongly as the rainy season approaches. 1/1250 at f5.6 ISO 1600

Perhaps the most memorable of all morning game drives this last week was this one spent following a pack of wild dogs as they sprinted through Londolozi. They are the rarest predator we find in southern Africa and are always incredibly exciting to track. 1/3200 at f6.0 ISO 1600

Share via email

About the Author

Alistair Smith

Guest contributor

Alistair guided at Londolozi from late 2016 to late 2017. Despite only a short stint here, he made a great impression on the guests he drove and formed a great bond with tracker Euce Madonsela. His photography is excellent, and is a passion ...

Thanks Alistait for your magnificent pictures, they are stunning and many thanks for sharing the camera settings, this is super helpful for me amateur photographer! I have a few questions for you: one about the picture featuring the Mhangeni Pride with the buffalo(s): it looks very strange on my screen with stripes that almost like there is a problem with the picture. The other question is about the settings of your camera: I noticed that on many pictures you allow the ISOs to climb (3200) but speed was also very high (typically 1/3200) without any apparent need from the action to shoot so fast: is this deliberate or wouldn’t it have been safer for the picture quality to use lower speed in order to lower the ISOs?

Hi Sylvain thank you for your response. With regards to your first question, I’m not sure as to why you are seeing lines across the image, they certainly shouldn’t be there. With regards to the second question, quite often I am shooting with ISO-Auto, so I am allowing the camera to choose an appropriate ISO level based on the light available in a particular scenario. If the light is fading, the camera chooses higher ISO values, which in turn would result in faster shutter speeds even in situations where a fast shutter speed may not be required. In a situation where a subject is stationary, I will regain control of the ISO myself, choosing a value that is as low as possible, but as high as necessary, and I’ll keep monitoring how it affects my shutter speed. If you’d like me to answer any more questions you might have, please feel free to email me at asti@iafrica.com I’d be happy to answer any others you might have.

Theses are wonderful photos, both the color and black/white for detail. The lone rhino at sunrise was beautiful but also reminds us of how vulnerable they are. Can you help me understand the number system (Nkoveni 2:2 female and the Ndzanzeni 4:3 female)? Thank you.

Hi Lucie, much like our human fingerprints, all leopards have unique facial markings above the whisker line on either side of the face. The numbers represented in the ratios (2:2) refers to the numbers of spots on either side of the face, two on the right and two on the left. It’s a way in which we identify the territorial leopards here at Londolozi

This has got to be one of the best Week in Pictures I’ve ever seen! The two potraits of the Majingilane males are increbile (love the eyes of the scar-nosed one) and so was the wild dog one!! The light on the martial eagle in flight was perfect and the Tailess Female crossing the river was so serene. I really can’t pick a favourite! Really looking forward to the blog on night photogarphy!

Badges

Badges are awarded for achieving various things and come with a bunch of points in tow. Here's an example badge:

We've had the pleasure of hosting you here at Londolozi and together we've experienced the magic of the wild and now you're part of the family. You've let us know about your past visits while editing your Profile.

Londolozi Guest

Awarded for visiting Londolozi.

1000

prowess earned

for earning the Londolozi Guest badge

Each badge has a basic version, such as the Londolozi Guest badge above, and then a specialist version:

Londolozi Lifer

Awarded for visiting Londolozi three times.

2000

prowess earned

for earning the Londolozi Lifer badge

To see all the badges on offer and find out how to grab them, visit the Badge Showcase or click on any badge you happen to find out there in the wild.

Senior Digital Ranger

Digital Tracker

Master Tracker

Guest

We've had the pleasure of hosting you here at Londolozi and together we've experienced the magic of the wild and now you're part of the family. You've let us know about your past visits while editing your Profile.

You've earned the badge:

Londolozi Guest

Awarded for visiting Londolozi.

1000

prowess earned

for earning the Londolozi Guest badge

You're a specialist in this field and have earned the badge:

Londolozi Lifer

Leopard

On a trip to Londolozi you've been lucky enough to spot a leopard of Londolozi. You've encountered the leopard's profile card on the Blog and pressed the 'Spotted this Leopard?' button to record your sighting.

Lion Fanatic

Photographer

You've got an eye for the wilderness and have had your photographic journal from your time at Londolozi published on the Blog for others to enjoy. You found out how to submit your story by emailing us.

You've earned the badge:

Photographer

Awarded for submitting a photo story.

700

prowess earned

for earning the Photographer badge

You're a specialist in this field and have earned the badge:

Master Photographer

Storyteller

You've got the gift of the storyteller and have had a tale of your time at Londolozi published on the Blog for others to marvel at around the camp fire. You found out how to submit your story by emailing us.

Art Specialist

Good Work Foundation

You recongise the rare privilege it is to be able to experience the untamed beauty of the natural world, and have found an opportunity to give back through The Good Work Foundation, for the sake of others, your children and the wild. You've let us know about your donations while editing your Profile.

Londolozi Live

Membership Overview

Londolozi Live

Membership overview

We invite you to sign up for a Londolozi Live account and join our growing digital family united by our respect for nature and love of the wild. Membership is free and grants access to the Londolozi community, numerous innovative services and benefits across our digital ecosystem:

Quick sign in/sign up

Tired of new passwords? Link your social media account of choice for instant, secure access to Londolozi Live.

Who are you?

Tell the community something about yourself and tweak your Londolozi profile. More of a secretive animal? Keep your profile private.

Track your activity

Earn badges for your profile as you interact with Londolozi and the community as you comment, share and explore our online ecosystem. All your activity with Londolozi is now connected.

Increase your ranking

Earn prowess and rank up as you interact with Londolozi Live and earn a spot on the monthly points leaderboard.

Discuss stories

Chat with other Londolozi Live Explorers and with your favourite Contributors from the Londolozi team about their photos and stories from the wild.

Home of leopards

Tell us which of the Leopards of Londolozi you've encountered during your visit! Their cards will move to your profile page collection.

Rent gear

Need a camera for your stay? Book it online and hassle free. Travel to Londolozi light and easy.

sightings by Members

The Leopards of Londolozi

Since 1979 Londolozi has had a love affair with leopards. Over the last four decades, this dynasty has been chronicled by the many guides and trackers, past and present, who have worked at Londolozi.

You can visit the Mashaba 4:3 Female's dedicated profile page to access a rich trove of information about this leopard, including family tree, unique markings, territory maps, timelines and a host of stunning images and videos.